Japanese Garden in Portland, Oregon

Portland has a climate similar to Japan which makes Portland an ideal city for a Japanese garden. When you enter a Japanese garden the desired effect is to have a sense of peace, harmony, tranquility and feeling apart of nature.

Three of the essential elements are stone, the bones of the landscape; water, the life-giving force; and plants the tapestry of the four seasons. Secondary elements include pagodas, stone lanterns, water basins, arbors and bridges. Japanese gardens are asymmetrical and reflect nature in an idealized form.

Strolling pond gardens were intended as recreational sites for the wealthy. They were sometimes created to be reflections of a place once visited, the place of one's birth, or a famous place in China. Earlier gardens were viewed from boats floating on ponds rather than strolling along paths.

The Japanese tea garden is a place for quiet reflection on the beauty of nature, and living in harmony with one another. The garden consists of a pathway that leads to a Tea House, connecting inner and outer gardens, separated by a simple bamboo gate. The path through the gardens represents a journey that is important to have the proper state of mind for the tea ceremony.

The Natural Garden was created to encourage visitors to rest, relax and reflect on the essence of life. The flow of energy through the garden refreshes and restores everyone who walks there. The deciduous trees lean slightly in the same direction the water is flowing.